Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, and Malaysia's missions overseas, will have to get used to scenes like the one last Saturday in London. For over a year, scores of Malaysians have braved the elements to gather in front of the Malaysian High Commission and protest about issues which contravene the constitution.

The solidarity rally organised by the London-based 'MyOverseasVote' on Nov 26 had three aims:

- To uphold the rights of Malaysians residing overseas to vote in Malaysia's general election;

- To ensure that the government will accede to the eight demands of Bersih 2.0 for free, clean and fair elections; and

- To protest against Najib's Peaceful Assembly Bill which denies ordinary Malaysians their constitutional right to freedom of assembly.

bersih rally in london 131107 overviewLaw abiding, respectable Malaysians who came to protest were dressed in yellow and comprised mostly professionals and students. The theme of the rally was 'Make every vote count'.

No one minded giving up their Saturday afternoon and felt it was a small price to pay for upholding their constitutional rights. They were angry that the government had flogged various excuses to explain why they could not vote, instead of addressing their demands for voting rights.

Three police personnel broke off from guarding an anti-Assad protest at the Syrian embassy around the corner, and came over to the Malaysia demonstration.

The newcomers in the Malaysian group were alarmed. They expected baton-charges, tear gas rounds and water-cannon. They were shocked when the policemen started chatting with the Malaysians and wished them good luck before moving off. Najib's idea of "the best democracy in the world" has much to learn from England.

An irate theology student from Oxford said: "Najib claims that he is not opposed to overseas Malaysians casting their votes but says that the logistics are difficult. Actually, he has been caught with his pants down because of Bersih 2.0."

A fortnight ago, MCA central committee member Ei Kim Hock had said that the conclusion of a party study into overseas Malaysians was that they should not be allowed to vote. He opined that Malaysians residing abroad were "out of touch", and received information from sources that were "biased and wrong".

MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek had tried to limit the damage caused by Ei's contentious statements by alluding to "logistical nightmares" which prevented overseas Malaysians from voting. But Chua was unable to stem the vilification from overseas Malaysians, who found MCA and Najib's comments demeaning and insulting.

MCA's 'flawed research'

Asked to respond to Najib's and Chua's statements, an undergraduate reading accountancy at a London university said: "Najib enlisted 2000 cybertroopers to counter the supposed lies about BN. How did he find money for that pointless exercise but has no provision for us?

"Sudan, Philippines, Indonesia can do it, why not us? Aren't these nations more backward than us? If he is desperate, get back the RM250 million from Shahrizat."

Her colleague interjected, "Does he honestly think we are that stupid to believe that his '1Malaysia Social Media Volunteers' is voluntary and free?

"Anything to do with Umno always involves money. Not theirs. The taxpayers' I can attend a Kelab Umno makan in the UK and receive £100 for turning up. It is just like at the BN ceramah back home. Buses are laid on from the kampongs to the stadium, and each person receives between RM30 and RM300. So don't tell us about logistics and the lack of funding."

The MCA was severely criticised for its flawed research which Ei claimed resulted in overseas Malaysians being ignorant and unaware of the true situation in Malaysia.

azlanDamien, a civil engineering undergraduate from Imperial College said: "We are more in tune with things happening at home. Has MCA heard of the Internet? Do they think us incapable of reaching our own conclusions based on the mainstream media, the alternative papers and various blogs?"

Lee, a post-graduate student from Brunel University and who comes from Kuantan said: "MCA cannot be trusted to conduct studies. Their conclusions are always flawed.

"Two MCA members went on an all-expenses paid trip in 2009, to check if the Lynas project was viable or not. The government gave Lynas the go-ahead based on the MCA study. Now that there are many safety issues with the Lynas project, MCA has done a U-turn."

'Why discriminate?'

Most of the participants felt that the credibility of Najib's government has been severely dented. The various statements issued with regard to voting rights for the overseas Malaysians, have been littered with inconsistencies. Most do not believe that the Election Commission will make good its promise to enable them to vote in the general election.

Bersih 2.0 chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan said: "The government, instead of arguing why it cannot be done, has a duty to ensure that it is done. It is their duty to enfranchise Malaysians, not to stop them from voting but to make sure that they can vote."

A researcher who was present at the London rally said: "I am doing this for my children and their children. I am in UK because there is no field of study in my line of work in Malaysia. Eventually, I will return home.

"Now, the only way to participate in an election is to fly home. It is not always possible with my job. Why does Umno/BN law discriminate against people like me? We need a change of government."

azlanIt is estimated that there are around 1.5 million Malaysian citizens living abroad, but only those in a select band can be classified as "absent voters".

A student who declined to be named said: "I am here to represent my mother who until she died, was denied the right to vote. She was not here, in England, by choice.

"She married my English father but he was denied the right of abode in Malaysia. It is hardly surprising that the Malaysian partner, in mixed marriages eventually lose heart; but not my mother. She would have wanted to have a say in what happens in Malaysia.

"They would have made a valuable contribution to the community, had they lived in Malaysia. Instead, our extended family has been torn apart by Malaysia's discriminatory practices.

"When I am old enough, I too will exercise my right to vote in the Malaysian election, even if it means I have to fly back."

(Names and courses have been changed to protect the innocent.)

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In 'real-speak', this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

Divorcee, widow, andartu; we must struggle to uphold our self dignity to the highest possible esteem.

It's heart wrenching when the man whom you thought is your new love, suddenly panics and realises that you're not an added boost to his happiness..maybe more of a liability?

The piercing part is, just as the romance is about to bloom..it withers immediately.

Thank God actually..definitely, a gross misinterpretation and a huge blessing in disguise... ^_^

Yes, it takes time to chuck the stupid, idiotic and topsy-turvy emotions.But always remember, the foolish hurt ultimately heals.That's for sure!Of course the memorable scar lies buried on the already scarred heartland..Hopefully, the wound is never to bleed again.

It can be months or more before he's totally forgotten and be done with!Or maybe even quicker than you imagine!

I had one shameful experience many moons ago..absolutely degrading!It was so embarassing..honestly.But I think I am feeling alright now...

As I flash back, I can really laugh at myself..O my goodness..I was a desperate circus clown!

Ya Allah! Ya Rabbi...What was I thinking back then?? Astaghfirullahhal'azeem..All those lovey-dovey endless chats were just a honeysweet dream.

Oneday, he 'woke up' and smsed me bluntly never to bother him anymore.My loneliness after the divorce blinded me.My day dreaming antennae had exploded, and produced haywire smoke signals...ishkk!

And so my dear friend, if a guy is not interested, dump him quickly into the garbage truck and move on with your life.Do not whine and beg for his love..

He's not worth your stress.Do not complicate your life...*yeah2*

Do not chase him..he'll get swell-headed!Life is too precious.Do not waste your time!He's not the only choice left for you.

Do not analyse his body language..Do not observe and deduce what his brain is churning..whether you're in his mind etc.If he is simply not interested, just delete him out of your life.

Be crazily happy...and try to erase everything about him!!InsyaAllah the love of your life will appear right before your eyes when you least expect it.

Remember, Allah SWT always has a better plan in store for you..InsyaAllah.Believe in him and stay positive..*arrgghh*

p.s.Not a professional shrink..but hopefully, my forthright thoughts will be logically accepted.Allah has created some of us to be silly romantics..We were born to withstand such knife cutting heartaches.

BN is very predictable. I just wish the rural folks will finally wake up to the reality that their own skin coloured, same religion types are screwing with the entire Malaysia which includes them.

BN is predictable because they are full of smart people who are not moved by altruisms and higher moral ideals, but by greed and lust. And therefore the Bill has to pass. It has to pass because whatever the PSC finds, it won't be what Bersih 2.0 or Pakatan will like. Even if it did say something that makes wonderful sense, it won't be enacted, implemented or enforced into anything meaningfully called electoral reform. And that is when Bersih 3.0 will rise.

It has to pass because the next general elections will be dirty. Dirtiest. Ever. And BN knows that there will be massive protests. This is a forewarning to disobedient civilians. March at your own risk. We are a government that's about to go bankrupt. Might as well make RM20,000 out of each illegal protestors. Better you go down in bankruptcy rather than us going down in a flame of infamy.

But I wonder if anything will change. We had the Police Act before. There's jail sentence under that Act. But did people fear? Refuse to take the risk? And I wonder why. That's because this coward of a government had never had the guts to take the Police Act provision to court before. And why would they, when there is a 50-50 chance that they will be shot down as unconstitutional? I think they know too that the Peaceful Assemblies Act 2011 will be shot down as unconstitutional, even more so now. But it's new, and untested, and they are banking on the fact that the unknown will scare the disobedient civilians into silence.

But will we be fooled into silence? Apparently, the answer is no. In fact, the passing of the bill has simply made Malaysians even angrier. We didn't know until this afternoon that we could be angrier than what we already are with BN. We thought we've had up to "here" with BN, but apparently, "here" is a constantly up-shifting pressure gauge. Which pressure will need releasing at some point in time.

We disobedient civilians will do the right thing by channelling our anger into outreach, pre-election campaign - in our offices, in our fields, forests and plantations, in our markets, shops and homes. And as a final act of defiance, we will vote for Pakatan because these are serious people, and without vested interest, serious about fixing Malaysia, starting with abolishing or significantly amending the Peaceful Assemblies Act 2011.

The Parkinson's-reversing Breakthrough *high Conversions Rates A Groundbreaking Scientifically Proven Program For Curing Parkinson's. This Is The Most Effective Parkinson's-reversing Resource Available On Planet Earth. Guaranteed! We Are New To CB And Excited To Start Working With Affiliates! Shinka Guided Meditation And Brain-wave Entrainment System Zen Meditation Memory Brain Brainwaves

Destroy Hemorrhoids! Eliminate The Pain In 3 Simple Steps. All New Professional Banners And Copy! Earn $23.11 On Each Sale! Converts At 4% (some Keywords 10%+) Brand New Offer, Little Competition. Make Over $90 In 100 Clicks! Check Out Our Affiliate Resource Center Http://www.destroy-hemorrhoids.com/affiliates The Baby Belly Fat Loss Plan Brand New Weight Loss Product For New Moms, Great

New Vertical Jump System Producing Monster Gains! Great Conversion...by Far The Most Unique Vertical Jump Program To Hit CB In Years! Earn An Incredible $40 Per Sale! Get In Now And Corner The Affiliate Market On This Future #1 Vertical Jump Product! Eat Your Way Slim - Brand New Hot Product This Brand New Hot Product Is Ready For You To Promote. Stick It In Your Autoresponder, Post About